Governments have created postal services for collecting, sorting and distributing the mail. The postal service typically charges mailers for delivering the mail. Mailers may pay the post for its service by purchasing a stamp, i.e., a printed adhesive label, issued by the postal service at specified prices, that is affixed to all letters, parcels or other mail matter to show prepayment of postage. The placing of one or more stamps on a mail piece is a labor intensive endeavor. Thus, stamps typically are used by individuals, small or home offices and small businesses.
Another means of payment accepted by the post is mail which is metered by a postage meter. A postage meter is a mechanical or electromechanical device that: maintains, through mechanical or "electronic registers" or "postal security devices," an account of all postage printed, and the remaining balance of prepaid postage; and prints postage postmarks (indicia) or provides postage postmarks (indicia) information to a printer, that are accepted by the postal service as evidence of the prepayment of postage. A postage meter is able to affix two to eight postal indicia to two to eight mail pieces in one second. Thus, postage meters may be used by individuals small or home offices, small businesses and large business.
Other means of payment accepted by the post is payment for manifest mail and payment for permit mail. In a typical manifest mailing system, a mailer produces mail in accordance with a mail manifest list and determines the quantity of mail and weight thereof. Then the mailer prepares the appropriate postal forms and delivers the mail and forms to the post. Thereupon, the post checks the manifest list and the appropriate forms and checks the quantity and weight of the mail. The post also requires permit imprints to be printed on the mail piece. The mailer prepares postal forms and brings the mail and postal forms to the post office. The post office checks the forms, checks the mail pieces and confirms that the completed forms coincide with the checked mail pieces. Then the postal clerk debits the value of the postage placed on the mail pieces from the mailer's postal account. Groups of individuals and businesses that produce very large quantities of mail use manifest and permit mail.
A disadvantage of the current manifest and permit mailing systems is that the systems are very labor intensive and provide little security. The intensive labor component is the completion of the forms and submission of the mail and forms by the mailer to the post office and the review and acceptance of the forms and associated payment process and mail by the post office.
Another disadvantage of the prior art was the inability of the post office to automatically check that a particular postal indicia has been accounted for. Thus, people, assisted by machines, are used to produce permit mail. Thereafter, the mailer and the post use manual acceptance procedures to check the mail and forms to assure appropriate payment.
Another disadvantage of the prior art is that permit mail is only able to enter the post during certain postal working hours.